Ontario’s education minister won’t stop 1-day teacher strike

Ontario’s education minister Laurel Broten says she will allow teachers at two elementary school boards to hold one-day strikes on Monday.

The one-day strikes will occur at school boards in Timmins and Stratford, Ont., during which teachers will protest against Bill 115, legislation that imposes contracts on teachers, freezes their wages and cuts their sick days. The bill also gives Broten the authority to end strikes, and she said she will re-address the issue if Monday’s strike lasts any longer than one day.

The union representing the teachers, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, has said several school boards across the province, including those participating in Monday’s planned strikes, have begun work-to-rule campaigns. In addition, the union has hinted at rotating strikes at other school boards before Christmas.

The District School Board Ontario North East in Timmins and the Avon-Maitland School Board in Stratford were the first to announce their intention to strike.